While I didn't repeat % of GDP, that is what I assumed you could figure out, and my statement remains unchanged. If this country had only 7.5 million and all were relatively fit and healthy (all required to go into military service), our health care costs would likely be less than 8% of GDP.

during a February 7, 2007, White House press briefing, (Whit House press Secretary) Snow was asked, "Does the President think it's a good idea that Speaker Pelosi have a large government military jet available to her to [fly] back and forth to California?" Snow responded:

MR. SNOW: After September 11th, the Department of Defense -- with the consent of the White House -- agreed that the Speaker of the House should have military transport. And so what is going on is that the Department of Defense is going through its rules and regulations and having conversations with the Speaker about it. So Speaker Hastert had access to military aircraft and Speaker Pelosi will, too.

So, if you really were analyzing based on the rate (percentage), then why stress the population size into your argument?

You said => "If the US population was only 7.5 million (Israel) rather than 313.2 million (42 times larger than Israel)..."

Good point, I guess that the population correlation has little to do with cost comparisons in % of GDP, except that it's always easier to manage programs that impact smaller numbers of people rather than larger numbers.

Anyway, Israel has a healthier population and regardless of the reasons, I see no issue with Romney making the statement he made. Complement a foreign government and liberals try make an issue of it.

Anyway, Israel has a healthier population and regardless of the reasons, I see no issue with Romney making the statement he made. Complement a foreign government and liberals try make an issue of it.

Could be true -- I'm willing to accept that they don't have Big Macs, etc., clogging their arteries. (Maybe they have Chick-fil-A instead. )

While I don't know the business environment in Israel, I'd bet a Big Mac that the reason they pay 8% instead of 18% is because they don't have for-profit health insurance companies skimming the top 10% off every health insurance dollar paid into the health care industry. All their money goes to pay for doctors and actual health care rather than zillion-dollar profits for insurance companies.

Liberals try to make an issue of a non-issue?

Oh, you mean like demanding to see birth certificates and college transcripts, asserting that Obama's a Muslim, dumb shit like that?

At best, equal stupidity from both sides -- in my opinion, more stupidity from the rabid righties.

The ignorant statements made on the right are a result of what has been called the conservative entertainment network. In my youth it was the left.
This fake media pretends to be the news -lobbyist version- and many on the right dont know how deeply every idea is filled with faked info.
Tell us, Techno you are a smart conservative
Did Obama cancel the pipeline to put forward his green agenda and cause a big back up of oil which was sold to the Chinese?
or
Did O approve most of the pipeline and fast track it and agree with the Canadians to approve the other section as soon they present the new route that local GOP insists on
and that no oil at all is available to send down that pipeline?
One version is factcheck. The other is faked up.
Which do you believe now you heard both versions?

I recently went down to LA to spent some time with my mother for her birthday. During the trip, I had the opportunity to see Rachael Maddox on TV. Not a show that I ever watch, but my mom often does. Maddox sounded like the opposite of what you might hear on Fox. Needless to say, it was not my cup of tea, even if we might be considered to be on the same side of the fence.

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